Essay - Marriage and the Family the Institution of Marriage and the...

The institution of marriage and the ***** is a contentious topic in contemporary society for a number of reasons. One of ***** most important issues under debate is the decl*****e of ***** and the family in *****. Research studies clearly show that the ***** of marriage as well as the cohesion of the family ***** seriously threatened in modern society. The very ideals ***** ***** are being questioned by many young people who feel that marriage no longer serves a necess*****ry purpose in society. The institution of the ***** is also being affected by th***** questioning and ***** various arguments which suggest that ***** conventional structure of the family is socially or culturally relative and not a necessary ideal to strive f*****.

However it is my contention that ***** and ***** *****amily are essential and vital cornerstones of any modem *****. The fact that these institutions are ***** debated is in itself ***** not a negative factor. Healthy debate and the search for improvements and possible alternatives are part ***** the growth and development in society. What is more worrying ***** ***** the ideals of marriage and family ***** being discredited us "unnecessary" and "old-fashioned" by ***** ***** and on many levels. The demise of marriage and the family will, in my opini*****, mean the destruction of civilized *****.

***** indicates that in terms of statistics there is certainly real cause for alarm with regard to marriage and the family. The marriage rate in the United States ***** at an all-time low. The figures ***** 1999 show that there were.86 marriages per 1,000 citizens in 1999. The divorce rate for the same year was 4.1 ***** 1,000 of the population. (Maher B. 2003. p. 56) The increase can be seen in that these figures are almost twice those recorded in 1966. Furthermore research has *****rojected ***** married couples have about a 50 percent chance ***** *****. Researchers project that. "According ***** the U.S. Census Bureau, 20 percent of first marriages end *****in 5 years and 33 percent within 10 *****. Over one million children annually experience *****ir parents' divorce." (Maher B. 2003. p. 56) Consequently there has also been in *****crease Cohabitation and out-of-wedlock births. "In 2000, there were 4.7 million cohabiting couples, compared with 500,000 in 1970." (***** B. 2003. p. 56)*****>

***** above statistics, which ***** be bolstered by many more reports and studies, indicate a centr*****l reason why the institution of marriage and ***** family can***** be al*****ed to disintegrate. Besides the ***** religious, moral and ethical reasons that surround this debate there is the primary issue ***** child care and development that is ***** *****ly affected by ***** current trends. As the above figures state: "Over ***** million ***** annually ***** *****ir parents' divorce." This has serious implications for society,

As Bridget Maher states in her study Patching Up the American Family, "Married couples who have previously cohabited have a much hig***** incidence of *****, domestic violence, ***** communication problems than couples